Demopolis overcomes early deficit to down Linden

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LINDEN — Demopolis overcame an early offensive spurt from Linden to work its way to a 59-51 Friday night.

The Patriots opened the game with an offensive burst, carrying a 21-15 lead into the second quarter. From there, the Pats would go cold from the floor as the Tiger defense clamped down and severely limited Linden. The Patriots managed to score only four points in the second quarter with all of them coming from the free throw line.

20141212 DHS vs LHS basketball_0258Dalvin Long turned a Demetrius Smith pass into a buzzer-beating triple in the second quarter, sending Demopolis to the locker room with a 28-25 lead.

The third quarter proved little better for Linden as it managed only nine points on three shots made from the floor.

The two abysmal shooting quarters together left the Pats on the wrong side of a 30-13 Demopolis run that left the Tigers up 45-34 entering the fourth quarter.

The Patriots found offensive life again in the frame, chipping their way back into the game before a Xavier Jowers steal led to a transition layup and an ensuing free throw to stretch the Tiger lead to 52-41 with 3:36 left on the clock.

20141212 DHS vs LHS basketball_0249Charles Tripp led the way for Demopolis with 18 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks. Josh Moore added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Smith had nine points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Long had eight points, three rebounds and two steals. Anthony McIntosh added seven points for the Tigers while Jowers had five.

Dequan Charleston led all scorers while pacing the Patriots with 24 points. D.J. Charleston added nine points. Tywan Smith had seven points, six rebounds and three steals. T.J. Johnson finished with five points and six rebounds.

Demopolis (5-3) travels to Aliceville Monday night while Linden (2-2) heads to Choctaw County Tuesday.

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